beta-endorphin and Dementia

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentration of beta-endorphin (beta-Ep), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) was measured in 15 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and in 16 patients suspected of having Binswanger's disease (BD) by MRI, which sometimes resembles DAT clinically. These were classified into three stages according to severity of dementia, Stage 1 (mild dementia)-Stage 3 (severe dementia). CSF levels of HVA decreased significantly in severe dementia, but the level of 5-HIAA did not correlate with dementia severity in both dementia groups. beta-Ep levels did not differ significantly between any stages of DAT, and among controls. beta-Ep levels, however, in BD Stage 1 (27.5 +/- 5.9 pg/ml) were significantly higher (p less than 0.05), but level in Stage 3 (6.7 +/- 2.0) was significantly lower (p less than 0.001) than in the controls (19.2 +/- 4.5). These results suggest that CSF beta-Ep may depend on the cause of dementia rather than severity of dementia, and could possibly distinguish the closely resembling BD from true DAT.

Topics: Alzheimer Disease; beta-Endorphin; Dementia; Female; Homovanillic Acid; Humans; Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Mental Status Schedule

The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) has been suggested as an effective tool for differentiating between depression and dementia. After administering 1 mg dexamethasone, we measured cortisol, ACTH, and beta-endorphin levels in 32 nondepressed patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) (14 also with dementia) and 20 healthy, age-matched controls. Four of the 20 controls, 9 of the 18 with PD alone, and 8 of the 14 with PD and dementia were dexamethasone nonsuppressors (cortisol value greater than or equal to 5 micrograms/100 ml). PD patients without dementia (nonsuppressors) showed higher basal plasma values of cortisol (22.06 +/- 5.30 micrograms/100 ml) compared with the suppressors (13.38 +/- 3.30 micrograms/100 ml). Plasma ACTH and beta-endorphin responded in a coupled way to dexamethasone challenge. Higher basal levels of both peptides were found among PD patients (demented and nondemented), nonresponders to DST. Thus, the DST does not appear to be effective in differentiating between depression and dementia in PD. In addition, PD nonsuppressors showed higher basal values of plasma ACTH, beta-endorphin, and cortisol (similar to patients with major depression). This suggests that although the depression is clinically undetectable, both disorders may share some pathophysiological features at the hypothalamic hypophyseal adrenal level.

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Aged; beta-Endorphin; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; Dementia; Depressive Disorder; Dexamethasone; Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Middle Aged; Parkinson Disease; Personality Tests

We measured CSF levels of the opioid peptides beta-endorphin and beta-lipotropin in patients with Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia and controls. In both dementia groups, the mean concentration of beta-endorphin was significantly lower than in controls. The mean beta-lipotropin levels did not differ significantly in the two groups. The low CSF beta-endorphin level may relate generally to dementia.

Topics: Aged; Alzheimer Disease; beta-Endorphin; beta-Lipotropin; Dementia; Endorphins; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged

Using radioimmunoassay the authors studied concentrations of beta-endorphine and metenkephalin in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 65 patients with various diseases of the central nervous system (CNS)--hereditary extrapyramidal disorders, disseminated sclerosis (DS), lateral amyotrophic sclerosis (LAS), spinal tumours, senile dementia, some CNS impairments of inflammatory nature. Patients with spinal tumours showed a 4-14-fold elevation in metenkephalin levels along with a comparatively high content of beta-endorphine. In senile dementia, the concentration of both peptides was lowered. In hereditary extrapyramidal diseases, the levels of beta-endorphine were also low, while there was no concomitant decrease in the metenkephalin concentration.

Topics: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; beta-Endorphin; Central Nervous System Diseases; Chronic Disease; Dementia; Endorphins; Enkephalin, Methionine; Humans; Multiple Sclerosis; Radioimmunoassay; Spinal Cord Neoplasms

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of ACTH, beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH) and beta-endorphin (beta-EP) were measured in 15 patients affected by dementia, who underwent also a brain computerized tomography (CT), and in 13 age-matched healthy volunteers. ACTH CSF levels of patients (4.0 +/- 2.4 fmol/ml, M +/- SD) were significantly lower than in controls (9.8 +/- 5.0, P less than 0.01) the lowest values being found in Alzheimer type of dementia (ATD: 3.1 +/- 2.5) and in patients with radiological evidence of cortical atrophy (2.5 +/- 1.2), independently of the probable origin of dementia. Although beta-LPH and beta-EP levels of patients fell within normal range, they were lower in ATD than in dementia sustained on a vascular origin. There was no variation of either peptides concentration in relation to CT findings. These data indicate the ACTH impairment as typical of dementia, supporting in humans the positive role of this peptide on learning and mnesic functions. Moreover, the maintained CSF levels of both beta-LPH and beta-EP in the dementia sustained on a vascular origin, while lower values were found in ATD, could represent a differentiation between vascular and degenerative diseases of the Central Nervous System (CNS).

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Aged; Alzheimer Disease; beta-Endorphin; beta-Lipotropin; Brain; Dementia; Endorphins; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Reference Values; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The primary lesion in Alzheimer's disease and dialysis dementia has been postulated to be an impaired blood-brain-barrier (BBB) permeability that allows neurotoxins like aluminium to reach the central nervous system. The present study shows that aluminium itself affects the permeability of the BBB of rats to small peptides. Intraperitoneal injection of aluminium chloride increased the permeability of the BBB to iodinated N-Tyr-delta-sleep-inducing peptide and beta-endorphin by 60-70%. Thus, aluminium can affect the BBB in ways that might be involved in dementia.

Topics: Aluminum; Alzheimer Disease; Animals; beta-Endorphin; Blood-Brain Barrier; Cell Membrane Permeability; Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide; Dementia; Endorphins; Humans; Iodine Radioisotopes; Male; Oligopeptides; Rats

beta-Endorphin-like immunoreactivity in cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) was observed to decrease in patients with Huntington's disease and dementia due to brain vascular disease. The greatest decrease was seen in patients with presenile and senile dementia of Alzheimer type(SDAT). The immunoreactivity significantly correlated with psychological functions when examined using a dementia rating scale (r=0.51, p less than 0.01, for all dementia, r=0.65, p less than 0.02, for only SDAT). These results suggest that a B-endorphin-like substance may be related in the pathophysiology of dementia.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Alcoholism; Alzheimer Disease; beta-Endorphin; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Dementia; Endorphins; Female; Humans; Huntington Disease; Male; Middle Aged